


Hold me tight

by dahyunayeon



Series: nadubchaeng [1]
Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Mentions of Violence, but it's not graphic, i didn't know what to write in the summary yikes, idk what im doing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-07-01 18:37:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15779796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dahyunayeon/pseuds/dahyunayeon
Summary: How Chaeyoung, Dahyun and Nayeon met, and how they fell in love.





	Hold me tight

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome! This fic could be considered a prequel to "Stay with me a little more" which you can find on my profile, but if you only read this one it still makes sense, although you can read that one if you want to read a bit more about this pairing :D to whoever left a comment in my previous fic under the name chaengchaengchaeng, this is for you, you made me really happy with your comment so thank you!

Chaeyoung holds tightly onto her bag as she walks down the hallway, the headphones on her ears blasting the music as loud as possible, loud enough to muffle all the people yelling on their way to their classes. She hurries to the art room before the good canvas run out, and once she gets there she takes her headphones off and feels at peace in the quiet room.

There aren’t many students yet, so she takes her favorite place next to the window, and before the class starts she takes out her own sketchbook and begins doodling. Soon, everyone arrives and the class begins; the teacher tells them to paint something that makes them happy. Chaeyoung doesn’t know what to paint, as there’s currently nothing that makes her happy in her life. She’s been drawing in black and white for months. Now that she thinks about it, she doesn’t remember if she smiled today. She thinks for a while about what to paint. _Anything._ Maybe a sunflower (but they remind her of her grandmother and that makes her sad) or a tiger (but it reminds her of how Mina used to say she looked like one, and how badly that relationship ended). Everything she thinks of comes with a _but,_ so she thinks she’ll have to come up with something and make up a story to give it some happy meaning.

That’s when she looks out the window and sees the prettiest girl ever. She has long brown hair and is currently scrunching up her face, trying to shield her eyes from the sun. She has a book on her lap and is calmly tapping her foot against the grass. It makes Chaeyoung feel… see, she wouldn’t say _happy,_ but it makes her heart feel a bit lighter than it has been lately, so she guesses it will have to do. She quickly sketches the lonely girl before she leaves, although she seems to be very deep into her book. Chaeyoung is surprised at how easily she draws the girl and moves on to choose the acrylics she will use. It feels a bit weird, picking up bright colors; but Chaeyoung paints with fast strokes, and to anyone looking it would seem almost easy, but she’s paying attention to every little detail and trying her best to capture all of them on the canvas. Soon enough she has a neatly finished work and is, surprisingly, quite satisfied with it.

When she looks again, the girl is leaving, and Chaeyoung wonders how she never saw her around in the hallways before (of course, when you walk with your head down all the time, the chances of not seeing someone are high). She sighs and silently hopes to see her again; this has to be the best work she has done in a while and she feels that for some reason, this girl could be a great inspiration to her.

She’s done for the day now, and can’t wait to be home. She walks through the empty corridors and is just about to put on her headphones again when she hears a beautiful melody coming from the choir room. Her curiosity gets the best of her and she peeks through the glass on the door. She finds a blonde girl playing the piano with her eyes closed, looking like she’s feeling every note deep in her soul. Chaeyoung knows she’s from her social studies class, and she wonders when she got her hair dyed because she was pretty sure the girl used to be a brunette. She recognizes the girl sitting next to her, Tzuyu from her math class, who is singing along quietly to the song Dahyun is playing. Chaeyoung can’t help but stay there until she’s done, and almost wants to clap and tell her how talented and pretty she is. She makes a mental note to talk to her in their next class, maybe she would like to be her partner for the next project if she’s lucky.

She walks home but this time she keeps her headphones around her neck. She hums the piano song on her way, her step feels lighter and the subtle breeze against her face gives her hope that, somehow, things will start getting better.

 

…

 

Dahyun pokes her mashed potatoes with her fork, sitting at the table quietly and with her head down. Her brother is telling their parents about football practice, and her dad pats him on the shoulder telling him _what a good son he is_ and _how proud he makes him and mom._ Dahyun gulps and clenches her fist against the fork, but she swallows her words. If she talked about how his brother is skipping practice to smoke weed in the third-floor bathroom, she would be the one getting scolded for lying, because her brother could never do anything wrong. Clearly.

Her mom asks how her day went. Fine, she says, and there’s really not much more to say. Tzuyu was nice enough to stay after class with her, again, because she tries to stay out of her house as much and possible, and her friend claims she gets bored at her own house anyway. Her parents are worried ( _yeah, right)_ she’s lacking energy ever since her singing classes ended, which makes her spend more time at home. They ask if she wants to sign up for any sport, but she declines. She’s tried every sport there is; field hockey, basketball, volleyball, even fencing. But Dahyun knows no amount of hobbies can make up for her parents’ neglection.

 It’s not her fault she’s not a popular jock like her brother, but she tries her best to please her parents. She goes to church every Sunday despite hating every second of it, she stopped playing the video games she liked so much because they weren’t _ladylike_ , she even stopped seeing her friend Momo because her parents were worried she would be a bad influence (they still text, but it’s not the same). All because she has a girlfriend, and it makes Dahyun mad, because Sana is a lovely girl who cares for Momo and they’re a happy, healthy couple, and the fact that her parents fail to see beyond their rotten predjudices angers Dahyun. But she has to keep it all inside, god knows she can’t afford to snap at them.

They finish dinner, and after washing the dishes, she runs to her room where she plops down on the bed and huffs loudly.  It was a tiring day; full of fake smiles and trying to avoid the annoying boy that keeps trying to ask her out. They went out once, at her parents’ insistence that she should give him a chance, acting like they cared about her happiness when really, all they wanted was for her dad to make a deal with this boy’s dad who was some big businessman. Dahyun had a terrible time, he was cringey, boring and even tried to kiss her when their date ended (Dahyun had never dodged anything faster).  She was sure kissing a tree would make her feel more than kissing him.

Her mind wanders back to the girl that was watching her in the music room. Dahyun saw her out of the corner of her eye and knows she stayed there until Dahyun finished the song. She also knows it was Son Chaeyoung, Tzuyu made sure she knew by teasing her about her _admirer_ nonstop. Dahyun grabs her phone and considers looking for her Instagram. She decides taking a look won’t harm anyone, so she types her name in the search bar and is surprised when her profile pops up (she wasn’t expecting the girl to actually have an account). Dahyun goes through the pictures and is a bit left in awe at how pretty this girl is. She has a lot of artsy photos, which Dahyun really liked, but she stops to stare at one in particular; it’s a close-up selfie where Chaeyoung stares directly at the camera. Dahyun thinks short hair really suits her, and looking at her plump lips, she knows she wouldn’t mind kissing _her._

 

…

 

If you ask Nayeon what her biggest talent is, she would probably say being able to not say a single word for hours (she’s counted, and her record is ten hours). She doesn’t have many friends at school so she never chats with anyone (unless Jihyo approaches her at lunch, which doesn’t happen that often), and she never speaks at home, either, because what the hell is she even supposed to say to her dad. He never asks anything, nor tries to start a conversation, and neither does Nayeon. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have anything to say. She does, she has plenty of stuff to get out of her chest, but she has no one to vent to. So she writes, writes like it’s the only thing she knows. She writes poems, stories of all kind, sometimes even songs. She likes how words can express everything she feels and more, and it’s her only outlet for the overwhelming emotions she feels from time to time. These days, more often than not.

But being by herself so much means she has a lot of time to think about how much she misses her friends in her old town, to wish Jeongyeon was there to give her one of those comforting hugs that made Nayeon feel safe, protected and _loved._ She misses her best friend, and she misses all the memories she left behind in her old house. This new one is cold, sometimes feels like there’s no one living in it. It never smells like freshly cooked food, it’s not filled with lovely singing coming from the backyard when she gets back from school, like her old one used to. It stinks of alcohol and the floors are poorly cleaned, the grass in the sidewalk is unkept and Nayeon is sure there’s a rat family living somewhere near the basement. She hates the new house, because it’s not a home, and it will never be. So she spends all her time in her room, which she keeps clean and organized, her walls full of posters of her favorite bands and a few pictures of her old friends. She feels awfully nostalgic and thinks about crying a little bit to let all those feelings out. And she does, she sobs quietly into her pillow because she _misses_ everything and just wishes things could go back to normal.

When Nayeon calms down it’s well past 3 am. She hadn’t realized it was so late, but she hasn’t been sleeping lately so she never notices the hours pass anyway, too busy writing or just looking at the ceiling until it’s time for school. She figures doing her math homework is a good idea to keep her mind occupied, and is trying to concentrate when she hears something breaking downstairs. She can’t help but shiver because she knows what’s coming; her door is locked, it always is, but she still feels scared when she hears her father’s cries and screams. He’s drunk out of his mind, which makes him quite violent. Nayeon closes her eyes and tries to take deep breaths. She hears him stumbling up the stairs, and then walk past her room into his own. She thinks she’ll be safe for the night, but then he starts hitting the door, and Nayeon panics. She quickly climbs out of the window, almost falls but makes it to the ground anyway. She starts running because she’s tired of her father being an imbecile and hitting her every time he gets drunk. It’s not Nayeon’s fault she looks so much like her mom, and with tears in the corner of her eyes as she runs down the street, she thinks she really doesn’t blame her mom for leaving him.

Nayeon wandered for a while after she escaped her house. She sat in a park bench and cried her eyes out, hoping she had brought her phone to call someone (but it’s not like she has anyone to call here, so she guesses it doesn’t really matter). She has no idea what time it is, but she’s been zoned off looking at the horizon for a while and can now see a few rays of sunshine. Just as she thinks _it might be six_ , her stomach growls and she regrets not grabbing any money before she left. She checks her pockets even though she knows they’re empty, and she scolds herself for only having a sandwich for dinner.

She doesn’t know where to go from here. Maybe she can wait until her dad leaves the house to go back. She thinks about running away, but realistically, it would never work. She weighs her options, feeling absolutely hopeless. And then she feels someone lightly tapping her shoulder.

 

…

 

When Chaeyoung wakes up the sun hasn’t risen yet.  Most people would hate being up this early on a Saturday morning, but she enjoys the quiet of dawn, the darkness that covers the sky as the first few rays of sunshine begin to show on the horizon. She allows herself ten minutes to look out the window at the field covered with sunflowers before she has to get up. As a kid, she loved how tall and beautiful the flowers seemed, spent hours in the backyard drawing them and pouting when they moved to chase the sun. Now, she stares at them from her window and thinks they looked a bit dead; ever since her grandmother fell sick, she stopped taking care of the flowers.

Chaeyoung changes into her uniform; she insisted on getting a job to help her mother pay the overwhelming amount of bills, and she got hired as a waitress at a 24-hour café near the school. She got a shitty shift, working Saturdays and Sundays from 6 am to 1 pm, but the pay is really good and everyone is nice to her. She’s about to leave but stops in her tracks and decides to water the sunflowers first, she knows otherwise nobody will do it and it would be a shame to let them die.

She takes her bus, her headphones ever present around her head, and lets her forehead rest against the cold window. Eventually, she gets down and starts walking towards the café like she always does when she notices a weeping girl sitting on a bench. She’s not sure if she’s seeing right, but when she turns her music off she definitely hears the girl sobbing. Chaeyoung is very surprised when she approaches her and discovers it’s the same girl she painted the day before.

She gently taps the girl's shoulder making her jump, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Chaeyoung apologizes and sits next to her, keeping a good distance. “I just thought you look like you need help right now. We go to school together, I’m Son Chaeyoung,” She offers her hand and the stranger takes it shakingly. Chaeyoung thinks despite the morning being rather warm, the girl feels awfully cold.

“Im Nayeon,” She replies trying to dry the tears tainting her cheeks. When she stays silent, Chaeyoung thinks about how she can help Nayeon.

“Nice to meet you, Im Nayeon. I’m on my way to my job now, you can come with me if you’d like. I’ll give you a coffee and the place will be warm,” Chaeyoung offers with a smile, and Nayeon thinks her dimples are really cute.

“Sure, that would be really nice,” Nayeon sniffles and stands up, thankful for the girl’s kindness. She doesn't know her, yet she’s showed more compassion than half the people Nayeon has met in her life.

They walk silently towards the café, and Chaeyoung motions for Nayeon to sit in one of the tables as she gets the machines ready. Nayeon asks if she can have a hot chocolate instead of coffee, and Chaeyoung nods giving her another beaming smile. Chaeyoung makes her _the_ best hot chocolate Nayeon has ever had, even added a marshmallow and gave her a piece of strawberry cake. _It’s on the house_ , Chaeyoung insists and seeing as the place is empty she sits across from Nayeon.

“Are you feeling a bit better?” Chaeyoung asks, resting her head on her hand. Nayeon, who is taking big sips of her drink nods and even gives her a small smile.

“I really am. Thank you, Chaeyoung, you really didn’t have to do any of this.”

“I wanted to,” The younger girls wonders whether she should ask what’s on her mind or not, but decides she needs to know if the girl will be ok after she leaves. “I’m sorry to pry but, can I ask what happened to your eye? And your arm, too.” Chaeyoung asks in a small voice, afraid the girl will close off and walk out, but she could not ignore the dark bruise under Nayeon’s eye and the fingerprints around her arm.

Nayeon’s eyes widen when she realized her tears had smudged the makeup she used to cover up her face. Her fingers try to cover her eye, ashamed to be seen like this, but Chaeyoung softly grabs her hands and draws them away from her face.

“I’m really sorry, you don’t need to answer. I know it’s none of my business, but I’m worried.”

Nayeon thinks the warmth of Chaeyoung’s hands holding hers is oddly comforting and ponders about telling the girl or not. But before she can choose, a few clients enter the shop and Chaeyoung excuses herself, asking the girl to please stay. She rushed to the back of the counter and greeted the customers with a smile as she took their order. The place got quite busy, but Nayeon decided she would wait for the girl. She finished her cake and stared at the younger girl, walking hurriedly from the counter to the machines trying to be as fast as possible.

When she was finally free for a few minutes, Chaeyoung looked around for the girl, afraid she might have left, but sighed relieved when she saw her sitting by the window.

“Hey, sorry for the delay. The place isn’t usually this crowded,” Chaeyoung said taking her hat off and running her hand through her hair.

“My father,” Nayeon began and took Chaeyoung by surprise, but she soon realized what the older girl was talking about, “He’s an asshole. And he gets drunk everytime he feels something instead of dealing with his problems like a rational adult. He’s been that way since I can remember, ever since I was a kid he would come home wasted and hit my mom,” Nayeon choked up, tears running freely down her cheeks, and Chaeyoung grabbed her hand again, giving it a light squeeze. “She was a very nice person who put up with him for too long. But one day she opened her eyes and left. Just like that, she left and left me behind with that monster. I resented her for so long, but now I just miss her, you know? If she came back for me, I’d forgive her in the blink of an eye and follow her to the end of the world. I’m a lot like her, apparently, so he takes his anger out on me. He hits me because he can’t hit her anymore, and he knows I have nowhere else to go. We moved here a few months ago because he claimed he wanted to start again. But that’s bullshit, the only thing that changed is that now I’m ten times more miserable because I’m away from everyone who ever cared about me.” Nayeon huffed as she finished her rant, and in a second Chaeyoung was on her feet hugging Nayeon tightly. Nayeon felt something wet against her shoulder and realized the short girl was crying.

“I’m so sorry Nayeon, so deeply sorry you have to go through that. It’s not your fault, you’re a nice person and I would kick his ass if I could.” Chaeyoung grabbed Nayeon’s face and made her look into her eyes, wiping her tears away with her thumbs. “You’re welcome to stay with me any time you want. You can stay over tonight if you want to, I’m sure my mom won’t mind.”

Nayeon hugged her new friend and thanked her for everything she had done in such the short time they have known each other. She really needed someone to listen to her and assure her that it wasn’t her fault, that she had done nothing wrong. She promised she would take up on that offer, but she had to leave for now. She wrote her number on a napkin and kissed Chaeyoung’s cheeks before thanking her again and leaving the shop. She didn’t really have anywhere else to be, but she was overwhelmed and needed some fresh air. Nayeon thought she might really need to stay at Chaeyoung’s, at least for the night. Her father wasn’t home a lot during the weekdays, anyway, so things would hopefully be a bit calmer. She sighed, looking at the sky and wondering what had she done to deserve someone like Chaeyoung to stumble upon her life.

 

…

Chaeyoung spent the rest of the weekend thinking about Nayeon, wondering where the girl might be and if she was ok. Chaeyoung saved her number on her phone as soon as the other girl left, but when she texted her that night all she got was a simple _“I’m alright! Don’t worry about me, see you on Monday.”_

Now Chaeyoung was in the school bathroom trying to fix her messy hair (she usually didn’t care, but right now she had classes with Dahyun and she really wanted to look presentable). She hadn’t seen Nayeon during the morning, and she was quite concerned, but she didn’t know which classes the girl had or if she had anyone at school that knew where she was.

The bell rang and Chaeyoung hurried to the classroom, making it just in time to see Dahyun saying bye to her friend group and going into the room. Chaeyoung follows her and straightens her shirt before clearing her throat next to Dahyun, who looks up at her with a polite smile.

“Hi, I’m Son Chaeyoung,” She offers her hand to Dahyun, who takes it with a light chuckle “Do you mind if I sit next to you?”

“You don’t have to ask such thing, Chaeyoung. I’m Kim Dahyun,” She thinks she shouldn’t say _of course I know you, I spent thirty minutes going through your Instagram the other night._ Chaeyoung drops her bag and sits next to Dahyun, who looks calm with her hands above the table, but who’s really nervous and bouncing her leg up and down. _Does she somehow know I stalked her? Oh god is she gonna confront me about it? Is she-_

“I was wondering if you wanted to be my partner for the upcoming project? I think we would work well together.”

 _Oh ok, breathe, Dahyun._ “Sure, sounds like a good idea,” Dahyun nods with a smile and gives Chaeyoung her phone number. The teacher arrives before they can continue chatting, but Dahyun keeps stealing glances at Chaeyoung. She blushes when the girl caught her and stares at the whiteboard, but she can feel Chaeyoung’s eyes on her.

After class, Chaeyoung thought Dahyun would go have lunch with her friends, but instead, she asks Chaeyoung if she could join her instead, the girl agrees immediately.

They sit on an empty table and Dahyun knows she’s getting dirty looks from her friends (they would later ask her why she _sat with that freak)_. Dahyun hated being with them, but she kept them around for the sake of her social status. Her only genuine friend was Tzuyu, who was currently on a trip to Taiwan, otherwise, she would definitely be teasing Dahyun.

Chaeyoung was extremely funny and Dahyun found herself laughing like she hadn’t done in a while, she even had to clutch her stomach when Chaeyoung’s soda came out of her nose from laughing so much. Chaeyoung would have been embarrassed to death if it wasn’t for the slight blush on Dahyun’s cheeks and the hand patting her back comfortingly.

After lunch they part ways, leaving for their different classes. Chaeyoung is walking down the hall when she spots Nayeon going into the bathroom. When she enters, Nayeon is reapplying the makeup under her eye.

“Hey there,” Nayeon says with a small smile.

“Hey, I was worried,” Chaeyoung says rubbing her neck, looking around the bathroom to make sure no one else is there. “You didn’t text me… where did you sleep that night?”

“I’m sorry Chaengie, I didn’t mean to worry you,” Nayeon puts her makeup away and glances at Chaeyoung with an apologetic smile. “I went back home. I didn’t want to bother you, and my dad was passed out when I got there. He seems to forget what he did when the morning comes and he just ignores me so I was alright, really.”

“That’s ok, just let me know next time ok?” Chaeyoung says and feels her neck and face heat up when Nayeon kisses her cheek again.

“Thank’s for worrying sweetie, but I have to leave now. See you around,” Nayeon strokes Chaeyoung’s cheek softly and leaves her babbling mess of a friend in the bathroom.

“S-sure, see you,” Chaeyoung mutters although Nayeon has already left. She’s late for her class and the teacher scolds her, but she doesn’t mind, not when she’s feeling this many butterflies in her tummy.

 

…

 

The next weekend, Dahyun asks Chaeyoung out. She says yes, of course; they spent a lot of time together the past week, texting all the time, sometimes until late at night making Chaeyoung go to sleep with a wide smile on her face. She wants to look good so Dahyun will think she’s pretty, but it’s been so long since she tried to look nice that she doesn’t know what to wear. Her mom looks at her amused and helps her pick an outfit without saying a word, and when Dahyun picks her up she just gives her daughter a knowing look and tells her to be home early.

Dahyun gets out of the car but Chaeyoung hurries her back to it before Dahyun can go say hi to her mom (she can’t deal with the embarrassment right now). Dahyun holds the passenger door open for her and Chaeyoung swoons a bit (read: a lot). The older girl has a bit of trouble starting the car and explains it used to be her brother’s but her parents let her have it when they got him a new one (he wasn’t the most careful person and he left the car quite beat up). Chaeyoung looks at Dahyun while she drives and thinks she really wouldn’t mind dating her at all. She turns the volume of the radio up because Dahyun looks _so cute_ singing the song they’re playing, and as the cool air of the night hits her face through the window, she feels genuinely happy for the first time in a while.

Dahyun takes her to a funfair, and it is extremely cliché but Chaeyoung loves how hard Dahyun tries to win a teddy bear for her. Dahyun pouts when, in the next attraction, Chaeyoung wins an eagle toy for her on the first try, but Chaeyoung kisses her cheek and calls her cute, so Dahyun doesn’t mind having the worse aim in the world (she has the cutest girl by her side and that’s more than enough).

They can’t end their night without a ride on the Ferris wheel  (at Chaeyoung’s insistence, because Dahyun would rather keep both of her feet on the ground), and when they’re up high Dahyun takes Chaeyoung’s hands and looks into her eyes. She tells Chaeyoung how much she likes her, how funny, smart, interesting she is. How _freaking beautiful_ she is. And Chaeyoung’s heart flutters like it never had before.  She leans in to kiss Dahyun softly, neither of them being able to contain their laughter, and they smile against each other in what feels like the best night of Chaeyoung’s life.

When Dahyun drops Chaeyoung at home, Chaeyoung grabs her face and kisses her at the doorstep (Dahyun blushes very, very deeply because _what if your mom saw us Chaengie!?)_ but Chaeyoung just shrugs and tells her she’s probably asleep. They say their goodbyes and when Chaeyoung leans against the door and lets out a content sigh, she’s horrified to see her mom staring at her from the living room couch with a grin that says _you have so much to tell me about, kid._ She lets her go, however, if she promises she will tell her all about Dahyun the next morning, and she says yes because really, what other choice does she have?

Chaeyoung feels like she’s walking on clouds, starts jumping around in her room and even squeals, because she’s happy and she can still feel Dahyun’s smile against her own lips.

However, her great night is cut short when she gets a text from Nayeon.

**_Nayeonnie [01:35 a.m]:_ ** _Can I crash at your place for the night?_

Chaeyoung immediately sends Nayeon her address and tells her she’ll wait for her at the bus stop. She hurriedly explains the situation to her mother as she jumps down the stairs, and she’s thankful when her mom understands and says Nayeon staying with them won’t be a problem.

The cool breeze Chaeyoung was enjoying hours ago now feels too cold, and Chaeyoung feels her nose go a bit numb as she hugs her jacket close to her body. When Nayeon arrives she’s sweating a bit, looks like she had been running, and Chaeyoung hugs her tightly. Nayeon cries clinging tightly to Chaeyoung’s jacket, which the younger girl puts around her shoulders as they pull apart. Nayeon tells her it’s not necessary, but Chaeyoung insists because Nayeon is only wearing a thin shirt and the walk to her home isn’t long anyway.

Chaeyoung doesn’t ask questions, and Nayeon likes that. She just makes her a cup of hot chocolate, gives her a change of clothes and tells her she can sleep on her bed, Chaeyoung will take the couch. Nayeon doesn’t want her to go, but she can’t quite talk so she just grabs Chaeyoung’s wrist and shakes her head. After some thought Chaeyoung gives in and cuddles next to Nayeon. The older girl rests her head in the crook of the younger’s neck, and sobs until she falls asleep with Chaeyoung rubbing her back soothingly.

 

…

 

Nayeon wakes up the next morning to the faint smell of coffee. Chaeyoung isn’t by her side so she assumes she must be the one in the kitchen. When she gets up she puts on a hoodie she finds hanging from a chair and makes her way downstairs. Chaeyoung stands by the counter trying to cut the burned part of the toast she made, her brow furrowed in the cutest way Nayeon has seen. When she looks up, she flashes Nayeon a sweet smile, dimple and all, and tells her to sit on the table. She places a cup of coffee and the toast in front of her, then a glass of juice and even some jam. Nayeon feels like crying again because she doesn’t remember the last time someone was this nice to her. And a tear does fall when Chaeyoung, with a surge of bravery, kisses her forehead softly. Nayeon thanks her once, twice, ten times, and Chaeyoung tells her not to worry. She’s still not asking questions, and Nayeon is relieved because she really doesn’t feel like talking yet. Chaeyoung sits in front of her with a cup of tea and Nayeon remembers the girl was supposed to be somewhere else.

“It’s Saturday morning Chaengie.” Her voice feels a bit hoarse, and she realizes she hadn’t spoken at all last night.

“Yeah, and?”

“Shouldn’t you be at your job?” She takes a sip of the coffee and feels better once the liquid warms up her throat.

“Nope, it’s closed for the weekend.”

Nayeon nods and finishes her drink in silence, the toasts taste good (with the jam you don’t even notice it’s a bit burned). Chaeyoung’s phone starts buzzing and she smiles widely when she reads the incoming texts. Nayeon doesn’t mind, she likes the way Chaeyoung’s eyes shine when she talks with whoever this person is.

“Sorry, that was uh, a friend of mine,” Chaeyoung apologizes putting her phone down, not really sure if she should call Dahyun her girlfriend (or if she should tell Nayeon about it at all).

“Oh, don’t worry about it Chaengie.” Nayeon takes her mug and Chaeyoung’s to the sink and washes them despite the younger girls insistence to let her do it. She gets more texts, and her lips form a small smile as she ponders about something.

“Nayeonnie?”

“Hmm?”

“Would you mind if my friend comes over?”

“Oh, you don’t have to ask me such thing Chaeng, I was gonna leave soon anyway, I don’t want to keep bothering you,” Nayeon knows Chaeyoung has done the absolute most of her, it would be childish to get mad over such thing.

“No, no, you don’t have to. My mom said you can stay here as long as you need to. Besides, it’s really muggy outside, looks like it could rain anytime now. Please, stay, I’m sure Dahyun would love to meet you. She’s bringing some movies over, we can all have a fun time,” Chaeyoung gives Nayeon her best puppy eyes and the older girl can’t refuse. It’s the least she can do for her, so she agrees.

Chaeyoung runs upstairs to change and Nayeon follows suit behind her. She just puts on her jeans from last night and keeps Chaeyoung’s hoodie (the younger girl doesn’t comment on it, but she looks cute as hell and Chaeyoung loves it). Chaeyoung scrambles inside her closet looking for the right shirt to wear, and Nayeon is sure this Dahyun girl isn’t just a friend, because no one worries that much about how their bangs look when they’re about to meet a friend. She confirms her suspicions when, minutes later, the doorbell rings and Chaeyoung runs to the door, letting Dahyun in and kissing her cheek. They hug and Nayeon feels like she’s intruding, knows it’s gonna be awkward. Except it’s not, at all.

Dahyun feels like a ray of sunshine breaking through thick grey clouds. She greets Nayeon with a hug and a bright smile, which Nayeon returns because this girl really has a contagious positive energy. Turns out she goes to school with them, likes playing the piano and enjoys cult movies. That’s how they end up cuddled up on the couch watching Rocky Horror Picture Show. Nayeon doesn’t tell them she’s watched this movie at least three times, but it looks like the girls have done the same because they know every dialogue and every lyric of every song. At one point Nayeon teases Chaeyoung telling her she looks like Brad with her glasses, and Dahyun laughs loudly as she nods.

“I don’t! You’re mean,” Chaeyoung pouts and both Nayeon and Dahyun reach to squish her cheeks at the same time (none of them mind).

“That means Dahyun is Janet,” Nayeon says and enjoys the shocked expressions on the girls’ faces, “Come on, you didn’t really believe you were being lowkey, right?”

“Well, you can be Rocky then,” Dahyun tries to come up with a rebuttal but ends up saying this and _oh god please don’t let it get awkward._

“Of course I am, I’m beautiful,” Nayeon jokes and they all laugh, the mood stays the same and Dahyun is relieved because it could have gone much worse.

They end up baking brownies, and Nayeon’s worries of being left out are long forgotten. The girls include her in everything they do and soon Nayeon feels comfortable teasing them as if they had known each other for years.

Thunder can be heard in the distance, but the girls feel at peace sitting on the couch, with a quilt covering their legs and freshly baked brownies. They start feeling sleepy, and both Dahyun and Chaeyoung rest their heads on Nayeon’s shoulders (who somehow ended up sitting between the two younger girls). Nayeon thinks Dahyun smells nice, and the soft snores Chaeyoung is letting out makes her smile. She allows her own eyes to close as the raindrops softly hit the window, and she drifts off to sleep with two warm bodies pressed to her sides.

//

When Chaeyoung’s grandma comes downstairs she smiles at the sleeping girls. Nayeon has both of her arms around Dahyun and Chaeyoung, who have their legs on top of Nayeon’s lap. Their necks will most likely be sore when they wake up, but the smile on her grandaughter’s face stops her from waking them up. A few more minutes won’t hurt.

 

…

 

The three girls start hanging out together a lot, sitting together at lunch and spending lots of time at Chaeyoung’s house. Nayeon stayed with her for the rest of that weekend but then had to come back home. She only goes there to sleep though, her father paying her less and less attention, and she’s grateful for that. She sleeps so much over at Chaeyoung’s that she has several changes of clothes there and a toothbrush. Ms. Son treats her in such a nice way it makes her miss her own mother, but she feels safe when the woman kisses Chaeyoung’s forehead and then Nayeon’s when she leaves for work. Even her grandmother makes Nayeon feel at home everytime she sets a plate of warm food in front of her and pats her hair lovingly.

Nayeon starts hanging alone with Dahyun, too. She helps Nayeon with her homework and Nayeon teaches her how to ride a bike _(You have to know Dahyun! That’s like one of the top priorities in life!”)._ Chaeyoung and Dahyun are in a weird place at the moment, they kiss and hug and like each other a lot, but most of the time it feels like they’re also dating Nayeon. Chaeyoung doesn’t mind, and she wonders if Dahyun does. They spend all their time together, they hug her, cuddle her and kiss her cheeks like they do with each other. The only thing they haven’t done is kiss her lips (Chaeyoung thinks she might want to, and by the look Dahyun gives Nayeon sometimes, she thinks she might have the same thoughts). Chaeyoung wonders what Nayeon thinks about it all.

Chaeyoung is finishing her shift at the café when she sees Dahyun and Nayeon walking towards the door. They’re holding hands, and Nayeon lightly shoves Dahyun, giggling. Chaeyoung smiles when she sees them laugh with each other, and they both give her a wide smile when they walk in. They make their order and when Dahyun leaves to find a table, Chaeyoung nudges Nayeon shoulder and ask how’s she doing.

“Pretty good, actually. Dahyun is extremely funny, I swear I had trouble breathing at one point. We were feeding the pigeons at the park and one of them attacked her!” Both of them laughed at the girl's misfortune, and Chaeyoung prepared their drinks.

‘I’m really happy you’re getting along,” Chaeyoung said sincerely and Nayeon nodded.

“Thanks for letting me in, I know you two are a thing and I’m sorry I’m third wheeling all the time,” Nayeon says looking at the counter, avoiding Chaeyoung’s gaze.

“Don’t be silly, you know we love having you around. Might as well start dating you, too.”

It’s a joke, they know it, but it has a bit of weight as both girls think _but what if._ Chaeyoung gives Nayeon their order and says her shift will be over in thirty minutes. Nayeon nods and winks at her and Chaeyoung can see Dahyun waving to her from the table and blowing kisses her way. Chaeyoung acts like she catches them and puts them in her heart (a second later she realizes she just did that in public, and her coworker Hyejoo is laughing at her. Not in a mean way, of course, but Chaeyoung still feels embarrassed).

Chaeyoung finishes her shift and leaves with the girls, walking down the street with their arms intertwined. The situation at Nayeon’s house is better, according to the girl. Her father stopped drinking so much, and he doesn’t hit her anymore. He ignores her, acts like she’s never there, and Nayeon likes it that way. She’s preparing for her college entrance exams, and with the girls helping her she feels like she has a good shot at getting into her top choice school.

Dahyun stopped spending so much time at home, too, and when her parents confronted her about it she said it wasn’t like they didn’t enjoy not having her around. Her mother tried to deny it but her dad stayed silent, and Dahyun realized she really didn’t care, they couldn't control her anymore. She feels safe at Chaeyoung’s house with her mom and grandma. The women had been extremely welcoming to both her and Nayeon and Dahyun couldn’t be more thankful.

They walk to a food place near a square and they enjoy the food in one of the benches. The sun warms them up and, when the girls are distracted, Chaeyoung pulls her sketchbook out of her bag. She draws them and even adds a few hearts all over the page. She’s focused shading the drawing when the girls notice it and start cooing about how cute it is. Chaeyoung is embarrassed for the second time that day because they weren’t supposed to notice. But when they kiss her cheeks she’s thankful they did.

Chaeyoung laughs when Nayeon tickles her, and at that moment she feels really happy. But things can’t go her way for too long.

 

…

 

Dahyun is fast asleep when her phone rings under her pillow. She grabs it and sees an incoming call, can’t quite see who it is calling but if they called at this hour, it must be important so she picks up. Suddenly she feels wide awake when she hears Nayeon’s voice on the other end. She can hear Chaeyoung crying in the background, and then Nayeon lets out a shaky _Chaeyoung’s grandma passed away._

Dahyun starts crying, feeling her chest tighten with every passing second. She tells them she’ll be there as soon as she can and hangs up, quickly getting dressed and grabbing her car keys. When she arrives Chaeyoung is on her bedroom floor, crying as Nayeon tries to comfort her. Dahyun drops to her knees and hugs both of them, crying into Nayeon’s shoulder as she strokes Chaeyoung’s hair.

They stay like that for a while, and Nayeon tells Dahyun that the woman had been hospitalized for a few hours, having had a relapse, until she passed away in her sleep. Dahyun thinks of Chaeyoung’s mom and wants to go comfort the woman as well. They get Chaeyoung to her bed and lay there with her, tears staining her cheeks and little hiccups coming out of her mouth. She rubs her eyes and lets the girls hug her as tight as they want. She knows they’re also grieving, and she thanks the universe for letting such caring girls into her life.

They stay until it’s time to go to the funeral. Dahyun drives them there, and Nayeon holds Chaeyoung in the backseat of the car, slightly rocking her back and forth. Dahyun and Nayeon hold hands as Chaeyoung cries with her mom, knowing she needs time with her family. It’s a gloomy day, but a few rays of sunshine manage to break through the clouds. Chaeyoung asks the girls to leave her alone with her mom, and they agree immediately, assuring her that they’ll be here when Chaeyoung needs them.

When Chaeyoung gets home after the service ends, she goes into her grandma’s room and drops to the floor next to the bed. She wants to cry but she feels like she ran out of tears, so she just rests her head on the bed and lets the scent of her grandma’s perfume comfort her. She’s slowly drifting off to sleep when she sees an envelope poking from underneath the pillow. She takes it out and finds a letter, _To my sweet Chaeyoung_ written in the woman’s calligraphy across it. Chaeyoung huffs and wishes Dahyun and Nayeon were there with her. She stares at the letter for a while, scared of what might be inside of it. She decides waiting any longer won’t do her any good, and rips the paper open.

_To my angel,_

_If you’re reading this it probably means I am no longer with you. There are some things I’ve wanted to tell you for a while but never got the chance to. So please read my words with attention, and most importantly with an open heart._

_First of all, I need you to know you are the most wonderful person I met in all my life. The way you care about others warms my heart and it makes me proud to be your grandmother. You are a talented, intelligent, beautiful young lady and I know you have a bright future ahead of you._

_Please make sure to tell Dahyun and Nayeon how much I cared for them; they are amazing kids and I’m at peace knowing you will be in such good company. You might not have figured it out yet love, but you smile at them the way I used to smile at your grandpa. You’ll probably wonder why I’m telling you this, how could such an old woman think such things, but let me tell you, dear, I can feel the love you have for them and I want to ask you to let them know. Love is the most beautiful thing we can experience in life. Don’t be scared to love, it’s never too much. God knows the world needs more love._

_Please remember me with a smile on your face, and keep doing what you love. That is the best way to make those around you proud._

_Love you always, your grandma Minseo._

_PS: don’t forget to water the sunflowers._

Chaeyoung holds the letter close to her chest as she let the tears fall to the duvet. She shakes as she stands up and grabs her phone; she has many texts but she only cares about two in particular. She opens the group chat she has with Dahyun and Nayeon, each left a message telling her to take care of herself and let them know when she wanted to see them. She wipes her tears with the back of her hand and lets a small smile form. She sends three simple words, knows she has time to deal with it all, but for now, she really needs to rest.

**_Chaengie [23:36 p.m]:_ ** _I love you._

…

 

Chaeyoung sighs as Dahyun nuzzles her face into her hair. She kisses her forehead and giggles when Nayeon leaves a kiss on her neck. Dahyun has her arm draped around Chaeyoung’s stomach and Nayeon’s hand is slowly tracing the sunflower tattoo on Chaeyoung’s hip. She looks up at her _girlfriend_ with shining eyes and pecks her lips, and Chaeyoung giggles softly as to not wake Dahyun up.

It’s been two months since her grandmother passed away. Chaeyoung realized she should take a risk and tell the girls about her feelings. They both understood and, unsurprisingly, returned her feelings. They weren’t sure how it would work, but it did, and they loved it. They are currently laying on Chaeyoung’s bed, taking a nap after spending a few hours seeding a bunch of new flowers on the garden. Dahyun’s cheeks are red from being in the sun for too long _(Nayeon told her to wear sunscreen but she didn’t listen, and now she has to deal with Chaeyoung teasing her),_ but both girls find her extremely endearing as she sleeps with mouth slightly agape. Chaeyoung strokes Nayeon’s hair and looks out the window to the sun setting on the horizon. Dahyun pulls her closer and lays her hand on top of Nayeon’s. Nayeon rests her leg on top of Chaeyoung’s, and Chaeyoung is content with the girls resting next to her.

She lets a final sigh before closing her eyes, thanking the universe.

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you liked it, and see you next time :)


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